Home Secretary Suella Braverman said “it’s not racist to tell the truth” about grooming gangs as she prepared to unveil new proposals to tackle organised child abuse.
The Government is today announcing a new set of measures ministers say will protect young women and girls from sexual abuse, which will also see ethnicity data used to support police investigations.
It comes after a GB News Investigates documentary into the national scandal.
In an exclusive interview with this broadcaster, Braverman said: “It's clear that this has been a scandal that has gone on for far too long.
Suella Braverman said 'it's not racist to tell the truth' about grooming gangs
GB News
“Vulnerable girls in troubling circumstances who have been dismissed have been ignored when they have justifiably complained about sexual abuse, exploitation being drugged or being raped.
“And there has been a failure on the part of state agencies, social workers, teachers, the police to take those concerns seriously.
“It's on the back of this challenge and it real problem which is ingrained in some of our institutions that the Prime Minister and I have now announced a series of packages which take us forward, which will ensure that there's now a mandatory duty on child safeguarding professionals to report when they have concerns about exploitation or vulnerabilities.
“I think that will make a big difference in the action that will be incumbent on professionals to take.”
Braverman is visiting Leeds and Rochdale, Greater Manchester, alongside the Prime Minister where a grooming scandal was uncovered in a high-profile case in 2012, to launch a new task force which will see specialist officers assist local police forces to solve child sexual exploitation investigations.
The Home Secretary told GB News Investigates presenter Charlie Peters, who made the ground-breaking documentary Grooming Gangs: Britain’s Shame: “I think that imposing a duty on professionals will lead to a culture change will lead to leave will lead to professional change.
“Ultimately, silence enabled this abuse, silence on the part of professionals, fear of being called racist fear about cultural sensitivities, fear about inflaming cohesion in communities.
“It is absolutely vital that we call out the truth of what's been going on. And that's why mandatory reporting is an important tool in the armoury of measures that we're announcing today.”
Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman visited Leeds and Rotherham today
GB News
Braverman added: “It's not racist to tell the truth about what has been going on here in Rochdale, or in Rotherham or in Telford local reviews and reports have confirmed that the grooming gangs scandal that has gone on here has been perpetrated by largely British Pakistani men.
“Now, it's important not to demonise a whole community and the vast majority of British Pakistanis are law-abiding, and straightforward people.
“But it is also clear to say that in these towns and I've met victims today who've confirmed as much bearing out their own experience, that there have been cultural trends in the practices that we've seen, and authorities and professionals have turned a blind eye out of fear of being called racist.
“Political Correctness can no longer be an obstacle to taking action.”